2017 flew by! And here I find myself on the eve of 2018 wondering what happened. A lot has happened in terms of personal growth (moving in with the boyfriend!) and professionally (joining a wine merchant company). Here's a few of my highlights in food and wine:

Noma, February 2017. I had a lot of doubt as whether I should fly halfway around the world but I am glad that I did. Read my post here on that.

Dinner with Burgundy and Champagne producers, March 2017. I was lucky to have a spent an entire evening surrounded by highly regarded producers respective in their regions and just enjoyed their knowledge and company. Second to this was drinking DRC for the first time ever but unfortunately way too smashed to remember anything :(

La Paulée, March 2017. Highly exhausting company event but I tried so many fabulous bottles including Anne Gros (a.k.a. my mother-in-law, I kid)'s Clos de Vougeot 1999.

Maple walnut ice cream at Yaletown, July 2017. Oddly this moment is what stuck with me the most during my trip to my hometown of Vancouver this summer – my first trip in three years since I graduated college in the U.S. in 2014. I haven't felt so utterly content and at peace just sitting in the sun, this ice cream in my hand and watched the boats pass me by at the marina below. Bliss.

Gaa, July 2017. So wonderful to catch up with a old buddy of mine who I first met during my WWOOF days in Tuscany. I took the opportunity to meet her at a new restaurant opened by friends of friends, just across from Gaggan in Bangkok.

Domaine Armand Rousseau Dinner, September 2017. A dinner that had its fair share of bumps (worst service in a restaurant ever) but thankfully great, wine from an iconic estate in Burgundy. I know it's such a cliché but their Chambertin is a wine that I will remember for a very long time to come.

Dinner at Otto e Mezzo Bombana, October 2017. I am grateful to work with colleagues whose company I enjoy so much that we actually make plans to do things with one another outside of work. One of these was to celebrate the birthday of one at Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the top Italian restaurant in the city but also one of our clients of the company. So much fun was had.

Aged Pol Roger, November 2017. It is because of this singular experience that I understand champagnes in context with wines such as Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone.

Passing WSET Level 3, December 2017. Perhaps the sweetest way to wrap up the year is passing my WSET Level 3, which surprisingly is not a walk in the park compared to Level 2. Embarrassingly I failed during my first attempt when I first took the exam in January, when I was swamped with worked and getting ready for Chinese New Year. I am so glad that this is over and done with...until I start the WSET Level 4 Diploma one of these days.

Most of the things mentioned are individual blog posts themselves. I invite you to check out my archive and reminisce with me. I have a lot of goals and ambition for this online space of mine, including more insightful posts and smarter interviews to come.